1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable or affixed illuminated sign. More specifically, the invention relates to a portable illuminated sign for carrying on one's torso for a parade and the like. The illuminated sign can be affixed to a shop window for advertisement.
2. Description of the Related Art
The related art of interest describes various portable illuminated signs, but none show the present invention. The related art of interest will be discussed in the order of perceived interest to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,423 issued on Feb. 27, 1990, to William A. Hinca describes a fixed sign holder having a frame comprising sidewalls and a rear wall holding two removable transparent panels in grooves, wherein the inside second panel has indicia on it and a light bulb behind it. A top cover is removable and fastenable to the frame at its sidewalls. The sign can be mounted on an automobile bumper or a house by utilizing a pair of apertures in the rear wall. The sign holder is distinguishable for its significantly different structure employing two transparent panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,000 issued on Jun. 5, 1984, to James Gandy describes a fixed illuminatable sign comprising an extruded aluminum housing or a sheet metal housing having an open front and containing a series of staggered fluorescent light tubes. A top-hinged front frame holds a polyester reinforced vinyl film which is translucent white with graphics provided by spraying, silk screening or a heat transfer process. The sign is distinguishable for its critical use of a vinyl film and a stand alone housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,390 issued on Mar. 6, 1990, to Johann Stilling describes a fixed sign box for an illuminated sign made from extruded aluminum with at least one translucent panel made from an inflexible acrylic sheet or a flexible vinyl sheet with the graphics provided by the same processes as in the previous patent. There can be two translucent panels to form a double-faced sign. Two fluorescent light tubes are positioned horizontally in the rectangular housing. The box frame can consist of one to three contiguous sections. The sign box is distinguishable for its extruded aluminum structure requiring numerous junctions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,766 issued on Aug. 24, 1993, to Ray M. Mikolay describes a fixed illuminated sign with either an integrated housing or in parts with four side portions. In the first embodiment, four fluorescent tubes backed by individual reflectors in the rear of the housing supply the illumination for an internal lenticular sign panel and an external transparent and/or translucent sign panel. The internal sign panel has cutouts in a black aluminum pane. The outer panel has a white background with identical colored indicia. The second embodiment utilizes only two fluorescent tubes. The inner sign panel diffuses the light to give the appearance of a light source being at the front of the external message carrying panel. The housing has two hangers on the upper rear portion of the housing of the sign for advertising beer. The hanging sign is distinguishable for its requirement for the inner lenticular sign panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,909 issued on Feb. 11, 1997, to Steve A. Hooper describes an illuminated and changeable message display device. A rectangular housing has either a single message box or double-sided message boxes centered or off-centered in front of four or eight colored fluorescent tubes in the housing reflected by a mirror and a diffusion panel. The display can be open or covered with a weather shield. The display can be free standing or suspended and arranged horizontally or vertically. The non-mobile display is distinguishable for its separate advertising box.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,462 issued on Jun. 10, 1997, to Robert M. Kleiman describes an illuminated flashing light emitting diodes (LED) message display sign apparatus with a hinged and suction cupped base offering different operative positions. The display sign apparatus is distinguishable for its hinged base and LED display.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,334 issued on Oct. 21, 1997, to Karl Heinz Schoniger describes an enclosed lighted transparent display board made of acrylic plastic or glass. A rectangular frame houses a series of LED's around the plexiglass or glass panel. A display panel with indicia is positioned on a self-adhesive opacifier or clouding film in front of the centered display board, and a rear cover is a mirror. The external display panel may have timetables, announcements, notices, advertising texts, advertising graphics as either a road sign or an informative sign. Other embodiments include a plate with the opacifier and an opacifier film disposed between two panels. The LED illuminated display board is distinguishable for its requirement for LED illumination and an opacifier film.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,697 issued on Nov. 4, 1997, to Thorgeir D. Hjaltason describes a sign plate made of acrylic plastic for an illuminated sign with an opaque reflective layer (milky white plastic) covering its rear surface. The sign portion consists of a printed fluorescent layer on a light diffusion layer formed in a broken zone of the white plastic layer. The front surface of the sign plate has discrete regions of a front color layer (colored polyvinyl chloride adhesive foil) on a reflective layer. Another embodiment includes two acrylic plastic plates with a reflective areas between them. The sign plate can be illuminated by any light source. The sign plate is distinguishable for the limitation only to the composition of the sign plate having discrete areas of color and fluorescent regions on both sides of the sign plate.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, an illuminated sign solving the aforementioned problems of being capable of being both portable and affixable is desired.